Electrical contact pins straightening device



March 25, 1958 s. GAVURNIK ELECTRICAL CONTACT PINS STRAIGHTENING DEVICEFiled Dec. 19, 1955 him.

IN V EN TOR. Sift/EA! G/l VLUP/Y/K BY A R EY Unite States Patent OfiFice2,827,812 Patented Mar. 25, 1958 ELECTRICAL CONTACT PINS STRAIGHTENINGDEVICE Steven Gavurnik, Gladstone, J., assignor, by mesne assignments,to Burroughs Corporation, a corporation of Michigan Application December19, 1955, Serial No. 553,969

1 Claim. (Ci. 81-15) This invention relates to a pin straighteningdevice especially adapted to be used for straightening the contact pinswhich extend from the base of electron discharge tubes, electricalconnectors, and similar devices.

As is well known, the contact pins of vacuum tubes and similar devicesoften become bent during manufacture, handling and use, thusnecessitating a pin straightening operation before the tubes can beinserted in their corresponding sockets. In conventional pinstraightening devices heretofore known, the operator inserts a damagedtube into the device by hand, such insertion causing a straighteningaction on the bent contact pins. The removal of the tube from the deviceis also accomplished by hand, and, since such removal is made difiicultby the pressure and friction exerted on the contact pins by the device,the operator usually imparts a rocking or twisting motion to the tube tomake removal easier, rather than lifting the tube straight from thestraightening device. Therefore, in many cases, the contact pins on thetube are rebent during this removal operation. If the operator attemptsto overcome this difliculty, he is forced to perform a laborious,inefiicient, and time consuming operation, unadapted for mass productionindustrial techniques.

It is an object of this invention to improve pin straightening devicesby providing a novel arrangement which acts to straighten the pins bothduring insertion and removal.

Another object of this invention is to provide a pin straightener thatis simple in its construction and operation, yet admirably adapted formass production industrial techniques.

Another object of this invention is to improve pin straightening devicesfor vacuum tubes and the like by eliminating one cause of breakage witha cooperating ejection mechanism as an integral part of the device.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved pinstraightening device which prevents pins from being rebent upon removalfrom the device.

Briefly, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided apin straightening device having a removable metal die. The die isapertured such that it can accommodate the geometrical arrangement ofcontact pins of an electron discharge tube or similar device. Theapertures are chamfered at the top in order to more readily receive andguide the contact pins during insertion of the tube into the device. Theapertured die is recessed in a support member in such relation that acavity is formed between said die and support member. This cavity ispreferably made large enough to receive any contact pins that are brokenofi from the tube during the straightening process. The apertured die isalso removable from the support member so that the above describedcavity may be periodically emptied, and the dies may be changed toenable the operation to be carried out on different geometrical pinarrangements.

Also contained in the support member is an ejecting mechanism to engagethe base of the tube and force the tube out of the die in a straightline parallel to the length of the pins. The ejecting means may beactuated by actuating means, such as a lever whose pivot is c0r1 tainedin the support member.

A more complete understanding of the operation and features of theinvention, together with additional objects thereof, may be gained froma reading of the following description in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a cross section in elevation of a pin straighteningdevice embodying the principles of this invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the device of Fig. 1 showing the relation ofcertain elements of the combination;

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the device of Fig. 1; and

Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the device of the presentinvention.

In the arrangement shown in Figure 1, the device cornprises a base 11 towhich is secured a support member 13 by means of a pair of screws 15passing through the base 11. A pin straightener die 17 is removablysecured to the support member 13 by a screw 21.

The die member 17 is preferably made of metal and has a plurality ofapertures 23 for receiving and straightening the pins of an electrondischarge tube or similar article; these apertures are chamfered at thetop so as to facilitate reception of the pins by the apertures. By thismeans the pins will be guided and forced to enter the apertures, thuscausing the pins to become straightened. The die member is recessed,forming a cavity 25 with support member 13, into which broken pins leftin the apertures after completion of the straightening process may beforced. This cavity may be emptied periodically by removing the diemember 17 from the support member 13.

An aperture 26 is located in the die 17 thru which an ejector means 27operates. Another aperture 28 extends thru the support member 13 andalso journals the ejector means 27. These apertures are aligned axiallyand act to guide the ejector means 27 in the operation of the device.

The straightening action commenced by inserting the tube pins into thechamfered apertures 23 is maintained during the removal of the pins fromthe chamfered apertures 23. This continuing straightening action uponthe pins is made possible by an ejecting feature of the pinstraightening device. The ejector comprises an ejector pin or plunger 27flared at one end to provide an annular shoulder or collar 31. Theejector pin 27 is movable along an axis parallel to the apertures 23 bymeans of a handle bar 33 fulcrumed on a pin 35 to engage the shoulder31, and is retractable by a return spring 37 between the shoulder 31 anda recess 38 in the support member 13. 'The fulcrum pin 35 is removablefrom the support member 13 by a retaining screw 3) as seen in Fig. 2.

The return spring 37 acts to withdraw the plunger 27 from its displacedposition as tubes are ejected. The distance to which the resilientspring 37 withdraws the plunger 27 should be great enough to allow thenext set of contact pins to be inserted in the die 17 without hindrance.

Depression by the operator of the handle bar 33 causes the ejector pin27, actuated by handle bar 33 thru the annular shoulder 31, to be forcedupwards. This in turn, by the action of the ejector pin 27 upon thecenter of the bottom of an electron discharge tube or similar article inthe die 17 with contact pins in the apertures 23, forces such tubeperpendicularly upward, thereby removing the tube pins from theapertures 23. The

depressionrof the handle bar 33 also causes the return spring 37 to. becompressed against the recess in the support member 13 by action of theannular shoulder 31 such that, when the operator releases the handle bar33, the handle bar 33 is returned toits normal'position of rest as shownin Fig, 4. a

' The pin' straightener 'mayibe secured to asupporting surface byfastening elements passing through apertures 41 in the base 11.

The present invention may be utilized as either a portable or mountedpin straightening device, enabling it to be, carried due to its small,compact size, or lending itself to hemonnted next to places of obvioususe, The design of the device is durable which obviates difficulties inits operation. In addition, thetplunger 27 cooperates with thcstrongestpart of the envelope of the inserted tube (for example, the center ofthe pin configuration), so that individual tubes are less likely to.fail upon removalv By such an arrangement not only does the presentinvention insure the rapid and positive straightening of contact pins,but an unskilled operator need not exert special caution in using theinvention. This results in a material increase in the number of usabletubes produced in less time than with prior known devices.

What is claimed is:

7 An electrical contact pins straightening device comprising a supportmember, a die mounted in said support member and removably'securedthereto, said die having chamfered' apertures at one end adapted toreceive the 2,827,812 a q e 4 pins carried'by the base of an electricaldevice to be straightened by said die, a cavity formed between said dieand said support member, said cavity being of sufficient size to receiveany of said contact pins that may be broken off during the straighteningprocess, a cylindrical aperture located centrally in said die and havingan axis parallel to the axis of said chamfered straightening apertures,a further aperture in said support member aligned with said cylindricalaperture, an ejecting plunger jou'r naled in and longitudinally movablein said aligned apertures to project one end thereof through said diefor applying an ejecting force against the center of the pin carryingbase of the electrical device substantially parallel to the axis of thepins, thereby effecting removal oi the electrical device from said diewithout bending said pins, a manually operable spring-biased lever armengaging said plunger to move said plunger to its ejecting position,

said lever arm being pivotally mounted on said support ReferencesCitedin the file of this patent U b IITED STATES PATENTS 2,413,591 SturdyDec. 31, 1946 2,423,038 Merwin June 24, 1947 2,696,746 Hoffman et a1Dec. 14, 1954

